Rishi Sunak responds to claims he is to blame for failing to fully fund programme to rebuild schools

Rishi Sunak has defended himself against accusations he failed to fully fund a programme to rebuild England’s schools, claiming the suggestion is “completely and utterly wrong”.

Today (Monday September 4) the Prime Minister dismissed claims about his record as chancellor made by a former senior official at the Department for Education. Jonathan Slater, who was permanent secretary at the Department for Education from May 2016 to August 2020, claimed the Treasury had failed to support school rebuilding schemes – including while Mr Sunak was chancellor.

Mr Slater said he was “absolutely amazed” that a decision was made after he left the department to halve the school rebuilding programme. But Mr Sunak told broadcasters: “I think that is completely and utterly wrong. Actually one of the first things I did as chancellor, in my first spending review in 2020, was to announce a new 10-year school re-building programme for 500 schools.

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“Now that equates to about 50 schools a year, that will be refurbished or rebuilt. If you look at what we have been doing over the previous decade, that’s completely in line with what we have always done.”

It comes as schools in England with buildings constructed from concrete which is considered a crumble risk were told to close immediately, ahead of the new academic year. Buildings made using the materials, known as reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) blocks, are to be “taken out of use and mitigations should be implemented immediately”.

The advice was issued by the Department of Education in new guidance just before term-time. The DfE says the decision has been made 'with an abundance of